Your First Appointment

Virtually all dental problems are most easily detected in their early stages, and can be treated economically and comfortably at that time.  For this reason, your first visit will normally consist of a complete medical and dental history, and a complete clinical examination including necessary x-rays.

Once the x-rays have been developed, we will be able to determine the necessary course of treatment to restore your mouth to optimum health.

Consultation

A follow-up appointment is then scheduled to review all treatment options including cost and insurance benefits if applicable.  We will work with you to determine the best course of treatment to fit your personal desires and your budget.

Appointment Procedures

Once your treatment plan has been determined, we will schedule an appointment to begin your work.  Depending on the amount of treatment required, several appointments may be required.  Our expanded office hours allow a wide range of choices for appointments and we will make every effort to schedule you at the times that are most convenient for you.

We do ask that you always call ahead for an appointment, as walk-in-patients sometimes have a lengthy wait until they can be worked into a schedule.  If you call ahead, we can set aside a time for you, reducing the time you may have to wait when you get here.  Of course in the case of a true emergency, we will treat you as soon as possible, however please call and let us know you are coming if at all possible.

We know you lead a very busy life, and we try hard to keep to our schedules; however, emergencies can happen at any time, and our first priority must be to those patients requiring more immediate attention.  If you find yourself waiting more than 15 minutes for your appointment, please recheck with the receptionist.

If you need to change or cancel an appointment, please give us 24 hours notice so that we may offer your time to someone else.

Emergency Care

If an emergency occurs during office hours, please call our office as early in the day as possible so that we may schedule the best available time for you.  You will always be seen the same day that you call; however, it may be necessary to schedule you with another dentist on staff if your regular dentist is not available.

Even with our expanded hours, emergencies do occur after hours. If you have an emergency that you feel can not wait until morning, we have an emergency number that is answered 24 hours.

Please call 608-756-2939 and our answering service will page the dentist who is "on-call" at that time.  He should call you within 20 minutes.  If you do not hear from him within that time, please call the number again and ask that he be paged again, as sometimes problems with the paging system do occur.

The dentist who treats you on an emergency basis may not be your regular dentist; however, it will always be one of the doctors from our clinic who will have access to your records.

He will discuss your problem with you and if necessary, meet you at our office to treat your discomfort.  We do ask that our female patients have a friend accompany them to the office after hours.

Fees & Payment Policies

We make every effort to hold down the cost of your dental care. You can help us by paying for treatment at the time of your visit.  We have several options available including:

Insurance

Dental insurance is intended to cover some, but not all, of the cost of your dental care.  Most plans have co-insurance, deductibles, and other non-covered items which must be paid by the patient.

Our staff is familiar with most  of the major plans in the area and is trained to work with you to maximize the benefits to which you are entitled.  In some cases, treatment might be phased to utilized calendar year maximums.  If you have dental insurance, be sure to bring your card and a copy of your plan information with you to your first visit so that your claims can be processed correctly and efficiently.

Regular Follow-up Care

In order to maintain good dental health and detect problems early, regular preventative visits are strongly encouraged for all patients.  For most patients, two visits a year are sufficient to maintain oral health.  Some patients, however, may require more frequent visits due to unusual problems or poor home care.

We will place you on a recall schedule and send you a reminder postcard so that you can call and schedule an appointment at your convenience.

It is important at these visits that you keep us informed of any changes in your health history, insurance information, or billing information including address and phone numbers.

Infection Control

Due to the spread of AIDS, hepatitis and other diseases, the dental profession has been asked to conform to strict guidelines regarding instrument sterilization and general housekeeping procedures.  Our office complies with all regulations currently in effect.  These precautions include:

Our Staff

We feel we have an excellent staff of professionals who share a concern for quality dentistry in a friendly, caring environment.  Each of our Dentists and Dental Hygienists are qualified to handle your needs or they would not be here. Obviously, some personalities click better than others, and if you feel you would prefer one of the other staff members than the one you are currently seeing, please don't hesitate to tell us.

All key staff members regularly attend continuing education classes to provide our patients with the most up-to-date treatment methods.  In addition, each dentist is a member of the American Dental Association, the Wisconsin Dental Association, and the Rock County Dental Society.

We offer complete family dental care which includes all phases of dentistry for all ages.  In severe or unusual cases, patients may need to be referred to a specialist in which case we will handle all the necessary arrangements.

    Dental Lab

Our office houses a dental lab that constructs all crowns, bridges and dentures.  This allows us to control the quality of your dental work.  We are able to stain or adjust shading on a crown while you at your appointment.  In addition, we are able to do many denture repairs while you are in the dental chair.

PIDA

Our office also houses the Professional Institute of Dental Assisting, also known as PIDA.  This is a school for interested individuals whom would like to pursue the challenging career of assisting the doctor with patients.  This class follows an intense 10 week schedule which includes 10 hours per week of classroom work, plus additional clinical hours.  Upon successful completion of this class you receive a certificate of Dental Assisting approved by the state of Wisconsin.  This school has two sessions per year with evening and Saturday hours designed to allow you to work your existing job while completing the class.  For additional information see website: www.pidaschool.com